


Fame and the Ridiculous Antics it Entails.

by magniloquentChanteuse



Series: Part of the Band [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-05-09
Packaged: 2017-11-23 16:49:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magniloquentChanteuse/pseuds/magniloquentChanteuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you've got a face recognized by half the world, it's hard to find someone you can actually talk to.<br/>John Egbert, member of the world famous band Sburb, spends some time in public and meets Karkat Vantas. This kid has never heard of his band, doesn't know he's famous, and is plenty willing to treat him like he's not worth idolation.<br/>Just the breath of fresh air John needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It's been way too long. You haven't actually been out in public on your own in what has to be at least eight months; ever since your band made it big. The only reason you're getting away with it now is because your bandmate Dave is holding some kind of a press conference, (not to mention your incredibly awesome disguise,) and he seems to be the most popular of the four of you, though truthfully you probably aren't far behind. None of you are, though Jade and Rose are more popular with the boys and you don't pay too much attention to them. The only guy you need is your best bro forever.  
You're shaken out of your thoughts by a blaring horn and you hop back onto the sidewalk. Crap, you just almost got run over. You need to be more careful; Jade will bite your head off if she finds out you got hit by a car. Again. You grin abashedly to yourself as you wait on the street corner for the light to change. You have to admit, you can be a little absentminded. Out of the corner of your eye you can see some guy giving you the stinkeye, so you pull a patented Egbert move and stick your hand out towards him.  
"Hi there," You begin, your grin turning wide and friendly. "I'm John." He looks you up and down for a moment, and doesn't take your hand.  
"Are you sure your name isn't Moron? Because I'm pretty sure that was one of the stupidest things I've seen all day, and that's saying something. I've seen a lot of stupid shit today but some kid in a fedora, a trenchcoat, and beagle puss glasses walking out in front of oncoming traffic definitely tops the list." Ok so maybe your disguise isn't so great.  
"It might be," you agree cheerfully. "After all, if I'm Moron then it wouldn't be completely out of character for me to not know my own name, right?" The look he gives you makes you burst out laughing.  
"Whatever. I'd say it was nice meeting you, Moron, but it was really just a blight on my day that I'd really like to forget before the memory of my encounter with you destroys so many braincells that I collapse as a drooling vegetable right here on the sidewalk. So bye." And then he's stalking off across the street and you realize the light is green so you jog to catch up.  
"Hey, wait, hang on! You didn't tell me your name."  
"That wasn't an accident," he replies sharply, looking like he just swallowed something disgusting. "I know I didn't outright state it, but I thought I kind of implied that I didn't want to talk to you anymore. Why are you following me?"  
"I'm not," you protest. "We just happen to be going the same way." He groans and speeds up, but you can't let him go, not yet; you're really enjoying yourself. You haven't had a conversation like this with anyone but your bandmates in almost a year. Most people tend to start screaming and fawning over you when they find out who you are, and even though this guy clearly hasn't realized yet, it's actually pretty fun listening to him rant and insult you.  
"Well, fine," he finally grumbles. "But as soon as you get where you're going or I get where I'm going, we are never going to see or speak to each other again. If I see your ridiculous mustached mug outside my window late at night or some shit, I won't hesitate to come outside and beat some sense into your ugly face." You grin at him.  
"I guess I probably do look pretty silly, huh?" You consider yourself. "Hey, hang on for a minute, would you?" He turns and stares at you, as if shocked by the audacity of the request, and you strip off the coat and shove it into your backpack, followed by the fedora. You're hesitant about the glasses at first, but you eventually place them carefully on top before zipping the bag back up. It's bulging at the seams, now, but that's ok. You pull it back onto your shoulders and turn to smile at the other guy, only to discover that he didn't wait and he's about half a block up. "Wait up!"  
"Not a chance," you hear from ahead, and then he turns off to the side into a building. Dang, you never got his name. You slow, dejected, but then you reach the building he went into and your spirits lift considerably.  
You step inside after him.  
He spots you almost immediately and his brow draws together, forming a very impressive scowl. "What the fuck, John?" he demands, clearly fuming. "You really are following me. All I want to do is pick up some groceries, but now I've got some prepubescent stalker following me around town. What's your problem? What do I have to do to get the message across? I don't want anything to do with you. Why the fuck are you smiling like that?"  
"It's just that...this is where I was going too!" You hold up a shopping list, grinning broadly. "Isn't that an awesome coincidence?"  
"If I believed that this was a coincidence then I would be an even bigger chump than you," he counters. "And I don't think that's possible. Maybe you were already coming here when we met, but there's no way me getting saddled with the biggest idiot this side of Park Street is a coincidence. It's just yet another piece of irrefutable proof that the universe hates me and wants me dead." He turns away, leaving you to grab a hand basket and trot after him.  
"So, if you're stuck with me, you might as well tell me your name, right?" You prompt when you catch up. He stares at the cheese silently for a long moment before grabbing a slab of cheddar and shooting you an irritable look.  
"Karkat."  
"Car cat? Like a cat you can drive?" You find yourself giggling a little. His disdainful look sets you off again.  
"No, dumbass. K-A-R-K-A-T. Don't ask me why it's my name, I don't know and I don't want to. So you can just shut your trap right now because I'm not going into some long explination about ethnicities or the history of my parents and why they decided to give me a totally ridiculous name that will make me fight for every little advancement in life because people will always be judging me."  
"Have you ever heard the song 'A Boy Named Sue'?" You grin. "By Johnny Cash. You seem kind of like that. A boy's father named him Sue and then left and the guy was picked on his whole life so he grew up strong and tough because he was fighting people all the time. Then he met his father one day and they fought and it turned out that that was why his father had named him that: so that he would grow up strong." You smile over at him and he rolls his eyes.  
"You listen to Johnny Cash?"  
"Is that all you got from that?" You snort, shaking your head. "Look, Johnny Cash isn't that bad."  
"He's terrible."  
"Well, I like him a lot."  
"I'm not surprised, seeing as you're terrible too."  
"Hey, come on, you don't even know me!" It suddenly occurs to you that, no, he doesn't know you. You took off your disguise and he hasn't said a word about your identity or your band or anything like that.  
"No, I don't, and if I had my way I wouldn't even know you existed." You definitely like this guy.  
"Well, maybe we should get to know each other, then!" You reply, ignoring the last part of his statement.  
"What do you mean by that? Are you asking me out, John?" He looks at you skeptically and you backtrack quickly.  
"No, no, that's not what I meant! I just thought that maybe we could hang out or something. You know, become friends." You grin awkwardly and he rolls his eyes.  
"Yeah, maybe." The agreement takes you by surprise.  
"Wait, what? You're saying yes?"  
"Am I going to have to go back to calling you Moron? Yes, John, I'm saying yes."  
"Oh, awesome! Well, uh, I guess give me your phone number or something and we can talk later!" You're beaming and you can tell that his scowl isn't quite as sincere as it was when you met.  
"I don't really like talking on the phone."  
"Well, how about a Pesterchum? Do you have one of those?"  
"I have a Trollian."  
"That works! Here, let me...write mine down for you..." You dig around in your pockets for paper, and come up with your shopping list. "Um, I guess we can use this. Do you have something to write with?"  
"Yeah, here." He pulls a pen out of his pocket and you rip off two strips of paper. You scrawl your chumhandle awkwardly on the paper using your hand as a table, and hand it off to him.  
"Now write yours down too, ok?" You pass him the pen and the blank strip of paper and he quickly writes, then hands the paper back to you, pocketing the pen. "Carc...what?"  
"CarcinoGeneticist. It's not too big for you to handle, is it?" His scorn has you lifting your chin stubbornly.  
"Of course not! What do you think I am, stupid?" There's a beat of silence and you laugh again. "Oh, right. You do." You watch in amazement as he actually cracks a smile.  
"Yeah, well, I'll talk to you later, then...ectoBiologist." He raises an eyebrow but doesn't comment, then gives you a little wave as he heads toward the cashier. You start to follow but then you realize you've followed him around the whole store without picking anything up.  
"Um, ok, I'll talk to you later then! Bye!" You wave and head back towards produce as he hands the cashier a wad of bills.  
"Whoa, you look just like John Egbert!" You turn to see a teenage girl gawping at you and you shrug.  
"I get that a lot."


	2. Chapter 2

\--ectobiologist [EB] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 11:48:15--  
EB: hi karkat!  
CG: OH JOY. LOOK WHO IT IS. JOHN THE MORON, HERE WITH HIS SACK FULL OF SHIT TO BURN ON MY DOORSTEP. OH, BUT WHAT'S THIS? IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S STEPPED IN IT HIMSELF LIKE THE COMPLETE BLUNDERING MORON HE IS. NO ONE IS SURPRISED WHEN HE TURNS UP IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH THIRD DEGREE BURNS AND SMELLING OF SHIT. HE IS ON FIRST NAME TERMS WITH THE NURSING STAFF AND IT APPEARS THEY ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. IT MUST NOT BE THE FIRST TIME.  
EB: hehe, karkat, that's dumb. i wouldn't burn shit on your doorstep. that prank is way too childish.  
EB: actually, i could to it but then also throw toilet paper in your trees!  
EB: in homage to my friend dave, i guess. he would love it.  
CG: FANFUCKINGTASTIC, THE KID THINKS HE'S FUNNY! GOD, JUST KILL ME NOW, SOMEONE. I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN STAND A MOMENT MORE OF HIS RAPIER WIT.  
EB: aaw, come on! don't be like that.  
EB: i was just kidding!  
EB: i wouldn't actually mess up your house or something.  
EB: ...karkat, are you there?  
CG: OF COURSE I'M HERE, I JUST HAD TO SIT HERE IN STUNNED SILENCE FOR SEVERAL MOMENTS TO TAKE IN THE UTTERLY ASOUNDING REACH OF YOUR STUPIDITY. BEFORE I MET YOU, I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN LEVEL YOU COULD DROP DOWN TO AND THEN THAT WAS IT. BUT THEN YOU OPENED YOUR FAT MOUTH AND SUDDENLY A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF STUPID OPENED UP BEFORE MY VERY EYES.  
EB: i'm not that bad!  
EB: maybe i have my moments where i'm not exactly at my brightest, but seriously, i don't think all that's called for.  
EB: i think you're exaggerating.  
CG: THAT'S THE SAD PART, JOHN, I'M NOT. I AM BEING ABSOLUTELY, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT STRAIGHTFORWARD ABOUT THIS. I WOULDN'T DARE USE SARCASM, IRONY, WIT, OR ANY FORM OF COMMUNICATION BESIDES THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH WITH YOU FOR FEAR OF YOU MISUNDERSTANDING ME SOMEHOW.  
EB: hehe, karkat, you are so weird.  
CG: I AM NOT!  
EB: yes you are! you're a total weirdo.  
EB: but don't worry, i don't mind.  
EB: i still think you're cool!  
CG: AND I STILL THINK YOU'RE A WORTHLESS WASTE OF VALUABLE TIME.  
EB: and a sweetheart, to boot.  
CG: SAJFKHJKGH  
EB: don't have an aneurysm, I was just kidding!  
CG: AS MUCH AS I WOULD LOVE TO SIT HERE AND BECOME FURTHER AND FURTHER ENTRENCHED IN THIS WORLD OF HORRIFYING COMMENTS THAT YOU SEEM TO BE DEVELOPING, YOU AREN'T THE ONLY THING ON MY AGENDA FOR THE DAY SO I REALLY MUCH BE GOING. BYE, JOHN.  
EB: karkat, hang on!!  
EB: are you seriously leaving?  
CG: YES, I'M SERIOUSLY LEAVING.  
CG: I HAVE SCHOOL, DIPSHIT.  
EB: ...oh.  
EB: well that's ok then.  
EB: i'll talk to you later, though, ok?  
CG: YEAH, YEAH.  
\--carcinoGeneticist [CG] has ceased being trolled by ectoBiologist [EB] at 12:15:52--  
You would definitely call that a success. Karkat may have seemed annoyed that you were talking to him, but he agreed that it was ok for you to message him later. You don't know what you like so much about that guy, but he sure is fun to talk to. You smile and close the chat just as a hand lands on the top of your head, ruffling your hair.  
"Dave," you whine. "My hair is messed up enough as it is, knock it off." You tip back your head to look at him and one corner of his mouth tilts up slightly into a smirk.  
"If it's so messy then you shouldn't care what I do it it," he counters. "You should probably be thanking me. Look at my hair, then look at yours, Egbert. It probably looks better now." He removes his hand and takes a step back, studying you critically. "No, you were right, it definitely looks worse now. Weird."  
"Gee, thanks a lot, Dave," You run your hands through your hair, trying to get it to at least look decent as he hops over the back of the couch to sit next to you. "So did you want something?"  
"Just came over to see what you were up to. We haven't talked much recently." He looks at your computer. "Who were you talking to?"  
"Just some guy," you reply with a little shrug. "We met the day you had your press conference." Dave snorts.  
"Dude, you're like Cinderella. The evil step sisters go out and you take the first train out of Shitsville to meet your Prince Charming."  
"I think you're messing up your metaphores, Dave. Besides, it's not like that, he's just some fun guy I met."  
"No way, that was gold. In a few years everyone will be saying it." Apparently he's ignoring the second part of your statement.  
"More like a few days, the way the media hangs on to your every word," you reply with a grin, and he shrugs nonchalantly.  
"What can I say? I knew the patented Strider charm would get me somewhere someday. You're lucky I'm letting you come along for the ride."  
"Is that so?" Whoa, where did Rose come from? "Well then, Mister Strider Charm, I suppose you won't be needing the rest of us anymore and we'll be on our way."  
"Yeah, sure, whatever, you guys are just hacks leeching off my raw talent anyway." He leans back, looking casual, but you can tell he's practically pouting. The giggles of the girls confirm your assumption. Wait, girls? Jade is here, too?  
"Hey, so what are you guys doing here?" Rose and Jade look at each other, Rose's world famous eyebrows quirking as they look back to you.  
"John," she replies after a moment. "We have practice today, remember?"  
"Oh! Right, I totally forgot!" You close your laptop and dump it on the couch, grinning at the exasperated expressions of the others. "Sorry, guys. Don't worry, I'm totally ready, though."  
"Whatever, John," Jade grins back at you. "I'm gonna go hook up." She lifts her bass a little, then heads deeper into the house.  
"Come on, Harley, you're almost as unprepared as him," Dave teases, following her. Their voices fade as they get further down the hallway. You smile up at Rose and her returning smile is a little kinder.  
"Is your keyboard all set up?"  
"Sure is." You stand. "I told you I was totally ready."  
"Right," she agrees, amused. "Well, I have my violin with me, so we can work on just about anything today." She leads you down the hall as she speaks. "I think that Revelawesome needs more work."  
"Aaw, Rose, come on, I thought that one sounded good!"  
"It did sound good," she agrees. "But if we want it to sound great, we'll need more practice."  
"I guess you're right," you agree reluctantly. "But do you think we can do Harlequin, too?"  
"Dude, we are totally doing Harlequin," Dave interrupts as you step into the room. "I fucking love Harlequin and we are doing it at every rehersal for the rest of forever. I sound fucking awesome on that song." He fingers the neck of his guitar, miming the song out. "And Pyrocumulus. I swear to god if we don't play Pyrocumulous at the next concert I'm bringing a groupie back to the bus with us."  
"Are you seriously trying to blackmail your own band?" You laugh.  
"For Pyrocumulus? I sure as fuck am." It doesn't take long for everyone to agree that it can be on the setlist.  
-  
By the time practice ends, everyone is tired, hungry, and some people, you won't mention who, might be about ready for a shower.  
"You guys get so worked up," you tease Dave and Jade as they wipe their brows.  
"Guitarwork is hard shit, Egbert. You wouldn't know, with your little keyboard over there," he teases back.  
"Exactly!" Jade agrees. "I'm sure it's hard, playing keyboard, too, but it's easier to move around a lot when your instrument is portable."  
"You don't see Rose sweating buckets," you counter, and the three of you turn to look at Rose, almost as pristine as when practice started.  
"That's because I'm a reasonable person," she quips good-naturedly, making you all laugh. None of you can argue.  
You all trot out of the practice room, leaving your instruments where they are for the moment, and head for the kitchen. Before long, the usual spread of snacks and quick foods are tossed haphazardly onto the counters and table, allowing the four of you to pick through and eat basically anything you want.  
"So John," Rose begins. "Why don't you tell us more about this new friend of yours?" You blink, surprised, then beam.  
"Well, I went out the other day," you start speaking with a mouthful of sandwich, then stop to chew and swallow before continuing. "In disguise, of course." A round of amused laughter circles the table; they're all familiar with your disguises. "And I went to the grocery store and I met this guy Karkat on the way, and he was going there too!"  
"What kind of a name is Karkat?" Dave asks with a raised eyebrow.  
"I don't know. He said something like 'I'm not going to explain name origins or parents or anything'...or something like that. He's kind of rude, actually, but I think he's kind of cool anyway."  
"Of course you do," Jade agrees with a grin. "You think everybody's cool."  
"That's because everybody is cool, compared to him," Dave agrees, making a mock toast towards you with his apple juice.  
"That's not true," you protest. "There are plenty of lame people. What about Tavros? He was kind of a tool." Dave tips his head back minutely at the mention of his ex-boyfriend, a sure sign that he's rolling his eyes.  
"Tavros wasn't that bad, man. You just didn't like him because he and Vriska dated after you guys broke up." You huff and Jade speaks up again.  
"You and Vriska weren't right for each other anyway," she says encouragingly.  
"It's been like, two years, John, I think it's time to get over it." You flip Dave off when he speaks but shrug.  
"Yeah, I know. I am over it, mostly, but I still can't believe she was dating him before we were technically broken up. That definitely counts as cheating." The others nod sympathetically.  
"I'm sorry, guys, but I've got to go," Jade suddenly states, pushing back from the table. "It's almost six o' clock and I have to walk Bec."  
"Shit, it's that late?" Dave shook his head. "Time flies when you're playing sick jams. I should get going, too, me and Bro are hanging out tonight."  
"See you guys later!" You smile at them as they stand and leave, then turn to Rose. "So, is it just me, or are some major sparks flying between those guys recently?" You waggle your eyebrows, but stop quickly. Your eyebrow maneuvering could never compare to hers and you're just embarrassing yourself.  
"I've sensed that, too," she agrees with a small smile. "I hope they're both mature enough for the responsibilities that come along with dating a coworker."  
"We're not coworkers, Rose," you protest. "We're bandmates. It's different." She raises an eyebrow.  
"It comes out to about the same thing. If they break up, it could do bad things for the chemistry of the band." She stands, brushing herself off. "Oh, well, it's really their decision. Now, I must be off; Mother has probably drunken herself into a stupor and I have to make sure she at least made it inside."  
"Oh, ok. Bye, Rose."  
"Bye, John." She smiles and heads for the door, leaving you to lean back in your chair and think about what would happen if Dave and Jade got together.


	3. Chapter 3

\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 8:18:59 --  
EB: hi karkat!  
EB: i know you aren't online right now, but i don't have much free time today.  
EB: work stuff, you know how it is!  
EB: anyway i just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out sometime soon?  
EB: i just think that that would be really cool...  
EB: so i guess just send me a message when you get online, ok?  
EB: ...i was waiting to see if you would log on, but you didn't and now i have to go...  
EB: so, ok bye!  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticst [CG] at 8:36:23 --  
.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling ectoBiologist [EB] at 14:46:38 --  
CG: HI  
CG: I GOT YOUR MESSAGES.  
CG: ...  
CG: GODDAMNIT, JOHN, JUST LOG ON, WOULD YOU?  
CG: I FEEL LIKE I'M TALKING TO AN ANSWERING MACHINE OR SOME SHIT.  
CG: I HATE THOSE THINGS.  
CG: SO ANYWAY I GUESS WE CAN HANG OUT.  
CG: DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN MIND?  
CG: BECAUSE I SURE AS FUCK DON'T.  
CG: WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO?  
CG: WELL, WHATEVER. I NEED TO GO NOW, I HAVE A STUDY GROUP.  
CG: I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.  
\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased trolling ectoBiologist [EB] at 14:52:43 --  
.  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 14:56:14 --  
EB: karkat!!  
EB: shit, i must have just missed you.  
EB: that sucks so bad.  
EB: well, i might as well leave some messages here for you to find.  
EB: how do you feel about mini golf?  
EB: or maybe something like lazer tag? i don't know.  
EB: i guess i should have thought this out a little more.  
EB: well, as long as neither of us are online at the same time, i'll have more time to think about it!  
EB: let me know if you think of anything, ok?  
EB: talk to you later!  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 15:01:39 --  
.  
You stare at your screen in frustration. You missed him by not even three minutes. This is so lame. You've been talking to him for almost two weeks now, but when you finally decide to set up a meeting, neither of you can manage to be on the computer. This is bullshit.  
You huff with exasperation and lean back, crossing your arms. You should really get his phone number...you could still talk mostly on Pesterchum, or Trollian, in his case, but you would be able to avoid this ridiculous chat-tag.  
You grin, pleased with yourself. You came up with that just now. Like phone tag, but for onling chatting. Then you're serious again, frowning to yourself as you think. You decide that now would be a good time to come up with things for you and Karkat to do.  
They can't be things that put you somewhere that you're too under inspection; you don't really want to cause some kind of scene the way you or the others have been almost every time you go out in public. With mini golf, everyone is too buy looking for their balls in the fake grass to notice anyone else, and lazer tag is practically dark. You consider a movie, but you think there would be too many people there who could potentially recognize you.  
You give another exasperated sigh, then open up a new chat window.  
.  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 15:15:16 --  
EB: hi dave!  
TG: hey egbert  
TG: whats up  
TG: come to beg for more advice on how to talk to your new boyfriend  
TG: if you want to analyze his secret motives behind calling you a dick biting shit whiffing dorkwad or something like that i think rose is more up to the job  
EB: that's not what i want!!  
EB: and he's not my boyfriend!  
TG: i cant help but notice that that was the second thing you protested  
EB: shut up dave!  
EB: it's not like that and you know it!  
TG: fine fine  
TG: so what did you want then  
EB: i was trying to think of something that karkat and i could go out and do together and i was hoping you could help me brainstorm.  
TG: go out  
TG: hes definitely your boyfriend  
EB: he is not!  
EB: i don't know why I bothered trying to talk to you, you're clearly in one of your pissy little girl moods.  
TG: hey  
TG: calm your shit egbert i was just kidding  
EB: hmmph.  
EB: fine.  
TG: ill help if i can but dude keep in mind that i dont know this kid  
TG: like at all  
TG: what kind of shit is he into  
EB: well, he really likes romcoms, but we can't really go to the movies or anything.  
TG: and its kind of too early to go over to his house or something unless you buy his dinner first and pack plenty of condoms  
EB: daaaaaaaave!  
TG: hang on counting  
TG: you did it again  
EB: fuck.  
EB: ignore that.  
TG: not a chance  
EB: dick.  
TG: at least im not eating them  
EB: damnit, dave!  
EB: you know what, nevermind!  
\-- ectoBiologist [EB] has ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 15:38:55 --  
.  
You'll come up with something on your own You don't need Dave anyway. After a long moment you groan and tip your head back. You're going to have to text him later or something so you can apologize; you kind of blew up on him there. It's not like he wasn't asking for it, though. Karkat is definitely not your boyfriend, you don't even think about him like that. He's just your buddy that you want to spend time with, just like Dave himself. You would have to be blind not to see that. You giggle a little to yourself, considering that maybe that's why Dave thought it: he can't see past those dumb dark shades of his. You dismiss the thought after another few minutes of amusing self indulgence, then try to think of more things to do with Karkat. Skating rink? No, you can't skate and you don't particularly want Karkat to know that. What on earth do other people do for fun? You usually just have Dave and Jade and Rose over if you want to do something, or go over to one of their houses. Eventually you push back from your computer and go to flop onto your bed, exasperated. You don't know what the hell you're doing.  
Fuck everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops, i'm sorry this one ended up so short! i really didn't mean it to. i'll try to do better next time.  
> as long as i'm writing one of these, i'd like to thank everyone who's read, commented, and left kudos on the story! it's really encouraging to know that you guys are out there and you like what i'm doing.  
> ill try to have the next chapter up within the next few days!


	4. Chapter 4

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling ectoBiologist [EB] at 12:15:35 --  
CG: FINALLY FINISHED MY LAST FUCKING EXAM.  
EB: that's awesome!!  
EB: how'd you do?  
CG: I DON'T KNOW, DUMBASS, I JUST FINISHED IT, IT HASN'T EXACTLY BEEN GRADED YET.  
EB: well, duh!  
EB: i meant how do you think you did?  
CG: PRETTY GOOD I GUESS. IT WAS AMERICAN HISTORY, SO NOT MY BEST SUBJECT, BUT NOT MY WORST, EITHER.  
CG: ANYWAY I WAS MESSAGING YOU BECAUSE NOW THAT I'VE FINISHED MY EXAMS I'M OFFICIALLY OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE SUMMER.  
EB: sweet!  
EB: so we can hang out soon, right?  
EB: i mean we've been trying to meet up for weeks now but you've been so busy!  
CG: YOU HAVEN'T EXACTLY KEPT YOUR CALENDAR CLEAR FOR ME, EITHER, DUMBASS.  
CG: AT LEAST I WAS STUDYING SO THAT I COULD PASS THESE GODDAMNED CLASSES RATHER THAN WHATEVER NONSENSICAL BULLSHIT YOU GET UP TO EVERY DAY.  
EB: haha, well, i guess that's true.  
EB: but i told you, it's not like i'm just shitting around all day!  
EB: ive been working.  
EB: i have a job.  
CG: OH YES, YOUR MYSTERIOUS JOB THAT IS A SUPER SECRET THAT I'M NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW ABOUT. WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED THAT YOU'RE USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE? I'M STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB AT ALL. IN FACT, I'D BE WILLING TO BET THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SOME KIND OF LAYABOUT BUM WHO SITS IN FRONT OF HIS COMPUTER ALL DAMN DAY AND NEVER DOES ANYTHING TO BECOME A PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF SOCIETY.  
EB: that's not true at all, karkat.  
EB: i'm just a busy guy!  
EB: i am sorry about not being able to clear some time for you recently, though.  
EB: it's just the busy season.  
CG: YEAH, WELL, WHATEVER.  
CG: WILL YOU JUST LET ME TALK?  
EB: zipping my lips, go right ahead!  
EB: ziiiiiiiiiiiiiip.  
CG: GOD, YOU'RE OBNOXIOUS.  
CG: ANYWAY  
CG: I'M OUT FOR THE SUMMER AND I'LL BREAK OFF MY OWN HEAD AND SHOVE IT UP MY ASS BEFORE I GET A JOB DURING MY TIME OFF. I NEED TO RELAX FOR A WHILE.  
CG: SO THAT MEANS ILL HAVE TONS OF FREE TIME THAT I MIGHT AS WELL STUFF WITH YOUR ANNOYING, NAUSEATINGLY CHEERFUL PRESENCE.  
CG: SO IF YOU EVER WANT TO HANG OUT, I'LL PROBABLY BE FREE.  
EB: awesome!  
EB: i can't wait, it's gonna be so fun!  
EB: anyway, i was thinking that maybe we could go see a movie in the morning or something when it isn't too busy!  
EB: i dont like being in a packed theater.  
CG: CALM YOUR SHIT, EGBERT.  
CG: YEAH, I GUESS WE COULD DO THAT.  
CG: DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING IN MIND?  
EB: well, i was thinking we could see Argo. what do you think?  
CG: I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF THAT. WHAT IS IT?  
EB: here hang on i'll paste in the synopsis.  
EB: Based on true events, 'Argo' chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA 'exfiltration' specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.  
CG: THAT SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLY SHITTY.  
EB: what? no it doesn't! it sounds so cool!  
EB: just picture it!  
CG: I DON'T WANT TO.  
EB: karkat, hush and let me set the scene!  
EB: ok so picture it:  
EB: americans trapped in a foreign country, held hostage, in impossible danger, positive that they're going to die.  
EB: then the rescue team arrives, and get this!  
EB: they're undercover...as a movie crew!  
EB: they're pretending to be shooting a movie so they can get the six living hostages out of the country and back to america!  
EB: it just sounds so cool please karkat i want to see it so bad!  
CG: THAT SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLY AWFUL.  
CG: BUT YOU SOUND REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT SO I GUESS IF IT MEANS THAT MUCH TO YOU I'LL GO WITH YOU.  
CG: BUT NEXT TIME, I'M PICKING THE MOVIE!  
EB: ok, that's totally fair and i'm so ok with that.  
EB: so i'm actually free tomorrow, how about you?  
CG: YEAH, THAT'S FINE. WHAT TIME?  
EB: the earliest one is at 8:15, how do you feel about that?  
CG: GOOD GOD, EGBERT.  
CG: WHY THE FUCK WOULD ANYONE WANT TO BE UP THAT EARLY?  
CG: ESPECIALLY ON THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER BREAK.  
EB: well, i like getting up early.  
CG: DID YOUR PARENTS DROP YOU ON YOUR HEAD AS A CHILD OR SOMETHING?  
CG: YOU'RE SERIOUSLY FUCKED UP, JOHN.  
CG: WHATEVER, FINE. 8 FUCKING 15 IT IS.  
CG: BUT DON'T EXPECT ME TO BE IN A GOOD MOOD.  
CG: IT WILL BE A MIRACLE IF WE CAN GET THROUGH THE MORNING WITHOUT ME BITING YOUR HEAD OFF.  
CG: AND I MEAN THAT LITERALLY.  
EB: hehe, well, i'll keep that in mind.  
EB: hey, so i was wondering, what kind of movies are you into if not super cool ones?  
CG: EGBERT I SWEAR TO GOD.  
-  
The rest of the conversation was mostly him going on and on about the romcom genre and his favorite movies and what kind of things make a good movie, with a little beration of your own favorites thrown in. You don't really mind, though, you're in too good a mood. You can't wait to hang out with Karkat tomorrow; somehow over the past few weeks, between the two of you you still haven't managed to meet up again. You wonder if he'll want to do something after the movie. That would be really great.  
You're suddenly distracted by the thought of how Karkat would react if he foundout about your band, or, more specifically, your fame. You really want to make sure you're already friends before he finds out; lots of people would take advantage of you because of it and you really hope that Karkat isn't one of them. You suddenly notice that a new chat window has popped up.  
-  
\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 13:58:32 --  
TT: Hello, John.  
EB: hi rose! what's up?  
TT: I'm taking a break from practicing and I figured now would be a good time to contact you and hear your news.  
EB: news?  
TT: Yes. Do you not have something to tell me?  
TT: I was under the impression that you had something important to tell everyone.  
EB: um, no, i don't think so.  
EB: who told you that?  
TT: Dave. I suppose I'm not surprised.  
EB: ...what did he say?  
TT: Well, frankly, he told me that you had a boyfriend but not to tell you he said so because you wanted to tell me yourself.  
EB: what?!  
EB: no!  
EB: i don't have a boyfriend!  
EB: karkat is NOT my boyfriend!  
TT: No one was assuming it was Karkat, John.  
EB: dave was!  
EB: he knows that karkat is just my friend but he keeps being a dick about it and pretending he is and asking if we're going out yet and stuff like that.  
EB: it's so annoying!  
TT: Try not to be too hard on him.  
TT: After all, this little prank is quite minor compared to some of the things you've pulled on us, especially Dave.  
EB: uuuuuuuugh.  
EB: i guess so.  
EB: but it's still irritating.  
TT: I can imagine.  
TT: Oh.  
EB: what is it?  
TT: I think my mother's home. I had better go check on her; it souds like she might have fallen.  
TT: I'll talk to you later, John.  
EB: oh, geeze. ok, bye rose!  
EB: good luck!  
\-- tentacleTherapist [TT] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 14:12:56 --  
-  
Poor Rose. She has it hard with her mom. You sigh and think about what Rose said. Dave told her that you and Karkat were together; he's definitely getting way more into this than he should be and you're started to get annoyed with him.  
You and Karkat have barely been friends for a few months but Dave is always going on about how you two are practically soul mates. You remember when he brought you wedding invitation samples. You flush with irritation at the memory and close your computer. You don't really want to talk to anyone right now. You should probably be practicing, like Rose...you haven't been sounding too good on Cascade recently. You stand and trudge off to pour your frustration into your keyboard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops it's short again. sorry!  
> i'm afraid that might be kind of a recurring theme with me.  
> but at least i don't take weeks to update, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i totally jinxed myself in that last authors note  
> i'm really sorry i took so long  
> i just had no motivation to do anything but draw

You're so eager to be on time to hang out with Karkat that you show up half an hour early and wait for him outside, bouncing excitedly on your feet in the early morning sunshine. There's practically no one around; no one but you wants to see a movie at 8:00 on a Saturday morning. After what seems like forever, you finally see him trudging towards you through the parking lot, looking exhausted. You laugh a little at the look on his face.

"Hi, Karkat!" You grin and hold out your fist for a bro-bump, which he regards disdainfully.

"It's nice to know that we're starting early on the whole annoying-the-shit-out-of-Karkat thing," he grumbles irritably. "I might be weirded out if you were, say, extremely chipper in the godforsaken hours of the morning, so I'm glad you're being considerate of my sleep deprivation and for once acting like a normal human being instead of some kind of psycopathic stalker with a new person to prey upon. Oh, wait, no, you're actually doing exactly what I don't want you to. How nice. Would you stop laughing already? It's not that funny. Goddamnit, let's just go inside." You can't help but chortle to yourself as you follow him into the theater where you buy your tickets. The 'two for Argo,' gets Karkat grumbling again, and the startled look of the lady behind the window has you laughing and pushing him away, answering her faint "Enjoy your movie," with a grin and thanks.

"Come on, Karkat, you could at least act like you want to be here," you insist. "It's not like I'm forcing you to watch this movie." He shoots you a sour look, but doesn't respond, which you decide to take as agreement. You get your tickets torn and then head into the theater, where there's only three other people, all sitting together in the center of the front row. You shake your head, wondering how anyone can stand to sit so close to the screen. You and Karkat find seats about halfway back, and you wriggle in excitement, exchanging words of commentary on the previews with Karkat. Most of the movies seem more your speed, but there are a few he looks interested in. You think to yourself, though, that no matter how cool Karkat is, his taste in movies looks kind of shitty.

-

The movie is fantastic, but Karkat doesn't seem very impressed. There are a few people milling around the lobby when it's over, so you usher Karkat out quickly. You smile at him when you get outside. "So what do you want to do now?" He shoots you a pained look.

"You mean we're not done yet? I would have assumed that after that two-hour torture-fest you just subjected me to, you would have at least had the decency to let me go home and retreat back under my blankets for a few more solid hours of sleep before getting back up to face the massive wall of blue text that would surely be awaiting me."

"Aaaw, come on! It's only like, ten in the morning, we could hang out all day!" You give him your best puppy dog eyes and watch as he rolls his own before giving a curt, clearly begruding nod.

"Fine. But we are getting some goddamned coffee before I fall asleep on your pathetic ass."

"Geeze, Karkat," you giggle a little. "What would your head be doing on my ass?" He looks like he's going to hit you, so you scoot away, into the parking lot. "Where did you park?"

"I didn't park, dumbass, I took the bus." He scowls at you and you beam. 

"Well, that's fine! Do you want to ride with me?"

"No, moron, I want to walk to wherever the fuck you're taking me while you drive. Yes, I want to ride with you."

"Oh, ok," you grin. "Well, I parked over here." You lead the way to your car, which, while a little nicer than most of the cars in the lot, doesn't stick out too much. Karkat, however, seems to disagree.

"God damn, John, what did you do, rob a bank to buy this thing?"

"No," you reply defensively. "I bought it with my own money! I earned it myself." Well, with the help of your bandmates, but they all got their shares, too. "Anyway, are we going to stare at my car all day or are we going to go get coffee?" Karkat frowns as you unlock the car, and then you slide in the driver's seat. You scoop some trash off the floor, reciepts, mostly, and dump it in the back before Karkat slides in. He makes a face at you and you can't help but laugh again as you start the car and pull out of the space.

"So where are we going?"

"How do you feel about Starbucks?"

"They're good, but way too fucking expensive."

"I'll pay," you offer, missing his irritated look.

"What is this, a date? No, I'll buy my own coffee. I know this local place, let's go there." You follow his directions and soon you're parked in front of a little coffee shop next to a pond.

"This is nice," you say with a smile. Definitely more inconspicuous than Starbucks. "We can walk around the pond or something while we drink, if you want." He huffs.

"I'd rather sit inside. I'm not a huge fan of the outdoors."

"That's fine, too." You both slide out of the car and head inside. You order something chocolatey with lots of whipped cream, and Karkat orders black coffee, but you see him dump in several packets of sugar when he thinks you aren't looking. You find a table and sit with him, chattering about anything and everything you can think of; movies, food, books, the internet, then after what seems like no time at all, Karkat clears his throat and gestures to the clock behind you.

"I really ought to be getting home now." You turn and look and holy shit it's one in the afternoon.

"Wow, has it really been three hours already?" You gape at the clock, then turn back to Karkat. "Do you really have to go?

"Yeah, I've got shit to do." He shrugs. "Sorry."

"Oh, well, that's ok. Do you want me to drive you home?" He hesitates, then cracks a little smile. 

"I'm not sure I want you to know where I live. You might start stalking me even more than you already do." You beam back at him.

"I won't stalk you, promise! Well, not without permission first." He snorts ad shakes his head, standing.

"You're so fucking dumb. Alright, whatever, let's get going." You bounce up out of your seat and the two of you return your cups before heading out the door.

"So where do you live?" He rattles off an address and a few reference points, and you give a little nod. "I think I know where that is. You'll have to direct me, though."

"Yeah, that's fine." You both settle into the car and you head towards Karkat's house, driving significantly slower than you have been until now. You've been having such a good time, and you don't want it to end. But finally you do reach his house, a small cookie-cutter house in the suburbs, and pull to a stop at the curb. 

"Well...bye." You give him a lopsided little grin and he returns with a wry smile.

"Bye, John. I...had fun." He ducks his head and scoots out of the car, slamming the door behind him as he waves goodbye and heads toward the house. You honk twice, laughing at his irate expression as he turns to flip you off, then pull away once the door is firmly shut behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

"And he thinks my taste in movies is shitty! Can you believe that?" You hang over the side of the couch, legs propped up on the back and head hanging dow near the floor.

"Listen, Egbert. For the five hundreth time, everyone thinks your taste in movies is shitty."

"Wow, rude, Dave." You grin over at where he's sprawled in a beanbag chair. Dave loves those things, he has them all over his house. "My movies are great." He snorts and from the way he moves his head, you think he rolled his eyes. You aren't sure, though. 

"Yeah, whatever. You're literally the only person in the world who thinks so."

"I am not," you protest. "There are lots of people who like the same movies as me."  He lets out a little grunt and sinks deeper into the chair without replying. "Anyway, what was I saying?"

"You were fawning over your new boyfriend," he replies with a slight smirk.

"He's not my boyfriend!" You've made up with Dave like five times since you initially blew up at him, because he keeps messing with you about it and you keep yelling at him. You really want to avoid having to be in that situation again if you can.

"Mmm. Well, I guess if anyone's your boyfriend, it's me." His leer widens and you laugh. "Come give me a smooch, honey."

"Daaaaaave!" You grab a throw pillow with a smuppet motif on it and toss it at him. It misses by a long shot; your aim is kind of terrible upside down. He laughs at you and you flip him off with a good natured grin. "Shut up, we're just friends. Just like us, except you're my  _best_ friend." You fall silent for a moment, thinking about your other friends. "I wonder what the girls are up to?"

"Probably getting manicures or something," Dave replies with a shrug. "Fuck if I know what's done on a girl's day out."

"Yeah," You agree throughtfully. "Probably talk about boys or something." The two of you are silent for another moment before you suddenly bolt upright, swinging your legs down off the couch. "Wait a minute!  _We're_ boys!" Dave snorts.

"No shit, Egbert. You sure are king of obvious today."

"No, but I mean, do you think they're talking about us?" His face blanks over, and then he frowns.

"Oh, shit."

"I know! What if they're talking about stupid things we do that we didn't even realize we did?" That seems like a thing girls would do.

"Well then we're fucking screwed, dude," he shrugs.

"That's for sure!" You consider for a moment. "They might be talking about good things, though?"

"Oh, yeah? Like what?"

"Like you," you shoot him a coy grin and you see his brow furrow.

"Look, Egbert, I know that I'm a hot piece of ass, but I didn't realize you were looking to cut yourself a slice."

"Dave, I don't want a slice of your hot ass! Not even a little one!"

"So you want the whole cake, huh? Well go for it Egbert, live the dream, touch the butt."

"I don't want that, either, dumbass!"

"You admit that it's hot, though."

"Oh, shut up, that's not what I meant and you know it." You flush, frowning at him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he smirks back at you. "You're after Karkat's hot ass. Is his ass hot? It had better be, my best bro isn't about to date anyone with a less than fucking spectacular ass."

"I'm not after his ass, either! Ugh!" He snorts. "Anyway, you didn't let me get to the punchline!"

"There was a joke?"

"When I called you a good thing."

"And you call me rude."

"Shush! Anyway, I was going to specify that you're a good thing to Jade because the totally likes-aah!" He hurls the smuppet pillow back at you and flies right into your face. You flail pathetically and end up falling off the couch.

"Damn, Egbert, I knew you were dumb, but I didn't know you were  _this_ dumb."

"I'm not dumb," you protest. "I'm intuitive!"

"Yeah, right."

"Oh, come on, Dave, she totally likes you." He's silent for several long minutes. 

"You think so?" You can't tell for sure because of that infamous poker face, but you're pretty sure he looks pleased.

"Yup, I totally do. She's so into you." He's definitely starting to smile.

"Maybe I should ask her out."

"You definitely should." You remember what Rose said. "Well...if you both really want it anyway. If you break up, then it might hurt the band. But if you really want to, then definitely go for it." He nods slowly.

"That's some food for thought, Egbert. I'll munch on that for a while and let you know what I come up with. Thanks for the advice, buddy."

"Any time." You hang out for another few hours before you finally head home sometime after seven. You eat dinner with your Dad, clean up, and then when you finally sit down to pesterchum, you find a message already waiting.

\--carcinoGeneticist began trolling ectoBiologist at 15:35.--

CG: WE NEED TO TALK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I may or may not have written the ending to this while I was asleep.  
> In that 'wake up type a few words fall back asleep' type way.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it's been so long. I don't even know what to say for myself.  
> I'm not too impressed with this chapter, but here it is.

Your name is Karkat Vantas and it is eleven in the morning, several hours before you message John.

You flick aimlessly through the channels on your tv, bored out of your mind.

A nature documentary about blowfish, a news story about a man who lost a fight with a tree, mind-numbingly stupid cartoons, a music video from some band you've never heard of, a minor league baseball game. HBO, your last hope, provides only some old western that you have practically negative interest in. You finally let out a groan and switch the tv off. You need something to do. You consider contacting John, but you recall him saying he would be with some other friend today, and you sure as fuck aren't going to try talking to him when he's with that guy. You lay sprawled on the couch for another few minutes before hauling yourself to your feet and heading to your room.

You're home alone today, so the house is silent. Usually you would be grateful for the quiet, but for some reason, the absence of your dad's usual screaming makes you desperate to leave the house and just go somewhere. You stare at your bed, then shake your head and pull on your shoes, grab your wallet and your house key, then beat it.

Fifteen minutes later finds you on the crowded bus, face propped on your fist as you gaze out the window. You aren't sure where you're going, yet, but you guess you'll figure it out when you get there. 

You spot a stop in front of a mall and shrug to yourself, pulling the cord that signals the bus to stop. You elbow your way off the bus and shove your hands in your pockets as the bus pulls away with a  _hisssssssss_ and stroll casually into the mall. Almost immediately you notice people starting at you, and your shoulders raise self conscoiusly. You slowly begin to realize that the eyes following you are almost exclusively teenagers. Actually, almost all of them are teenage girls. If you were a different person, you would probably be pleased, confident that you look good, but you're not; you never get attention from girls and you can't figure out why you are now.

Then you feel a tap on your shoulder and a girl al little older than you is standing there, two more girls standing behind her, uncertain little grins on their faces.

"Yeah?" You frown a little, eyes moving between them all.

"Hi," the front girl speaks, smiling. She must be a cheerleader or something, from how damn perky she seems to be. "We were wondering...are you Karkat Vantas?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's me. What, do we go to the same school or something?" All three of them giggle and the girl in front tosses her hair.

"Wouldn't that be cool? What school do you go to?" Is she batting her eyelashes?

"Northridge," you reply suspiciously. What's going on here? She seems incredibly disappointed by your answer.

"Oh, we go to Lincoln. Oh well. It's summer anyway, right? Who cares about school." Why is she flipping her hair again? It wasn't even in her face. 

"Yeah." How the fuck did she know your name? There's a long silence before she speaks up again.

"So...do you really know John Egbert?" You blink, confused.

"Um, I only know one John. Black hair, glasses, kind of a dork." The girls titter again and fuck you're getting confused. What's so funny?

"So you do know him! What's he like in real life?"

"As opposed to what?" You give her a strange look and she looks kind of embarrassed.

"You know...the press face or whatever."

"Press face?" What the fuck? "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. She looks a little irritated now.

"I just want to know if he's nice," she huffs. "And if he's as cute in person as he is on tv."

" _On tv?_  Look, we must be talking about different Johns."

"You did say that you're Karkat Vantas, right? So is John Egbert cute?" Your brow furrows  and your eye might have twitched.

"Seriously, how the fuck do you know my name?"

"I read about you in  _People_!" That floors you.

"Uh. Is there more than one Karkat Vantas?" That makes them giggle again, but now it sounds kind of uncertain.

"I don't think so. Hang on, May has a copy..." She turns and one of her friends fumbls in her bag, producing a magazine a few moments later. The first girl takes it and passes it to you and-

"Oh my fucking god." You're on the cover. You and John, leaving the movie theater. You read the captions across the page. Holy shit, they're about you and John and why the fuck are they calling John a superstar? You gape at the page, then hastily flip to the pages referenced on the cover. Oh god, there are more pictures of you and John from when you were hanging out. What the fuck is this? You look up at the girls, eyes wide. They're staring at you with wide eyes. "Who is this?" You jab your finger at John's face on the front cover and the third girl finally speaks up.

"John Egbert, obviously. Weren't you two hanging out? The article says you were!"

"Well, yeah, we were, but..." You never asked his last name or anything. You still don't know what he's famous for. "Um, what exactly is it he does?"

"Are you kidding?" The first girl lets out an incredulous laugh. "He's the keyboardist for Sburb! You know, the band?"

"A band," you reply, completely blanking. "So he's...famous?" If they weren't staring before, they really are now.

"Yeah, really famous." May is giving you a strange look. You press a hand to your face, internally freaking the fuck out. What is this?

"Ok. Well, uh, I think I need to go now." You hold out the magazine.

"Did you not know?" The first girl looks practically gleeful, like this is hilarious to her.

"No, I didn't. Now seriously, take the damn magazine." As soon as the thing's out of your hands, you beat it to the exit and catch the next bus home.

You spend the next hour or two perusing google, getting angrier and more frustrated and, somehow, more hurt as you do.

There are four, maybe five different pictures of you that someone took of you and John when you were hanging out. Someone has started circulating other pictures of you and you've gained almost three hundred followers on tumblr. Your facebook is flooded with friend requests and notifications and messages and you don't know what to do about them, so you just shut everything down and press your face into your hands again. Your life suddenly feels so public; everyone is watching you, reading what you've been saying, learning everything about you that the internet has to offer.

And you've learned about John, too. You know about his band and his music and his fame and his money and you're so fucking offended that he's kept it from you. You don't undersatnd why he would. You just don't get what's going on in that kid's head. You're so fucking pissed.

You stare at your computer for a few minutes, then open trollian. You're starting to calm down, to not be quite so furious, but you're still fuming, You click open your chat with John, despite him not being online, and send him a message.

\--carcinoGeneticist began trolling ectoBiologist at 15:35.--

CG: WE NEED TO TALK.

You settle in to wait, chest aching with anxiety and fury.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well written chapter but it leaves me wanting more...hope you update soon! -Pinlie  
> Well, since you asked so nicely.

EB: hi karkat!  
CG: DON'T YOU 'HI KARKAT' ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT.  
CG: HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?  
EB: what?  
CG: YOU ARE THE WORST HUMAN BEING TO EVER WALK THIS PLANET, EGBERT.  
CG: YOU'RE A BEING SO VILE AND INFURIATING THAT I THINK HELL ITSELF MUST HAVE OPENED UP AND SPAT YOU OUT AT MY FEET JUST TO COMPLETELY SCREW ME OVER.  
EB: what are you talking about??  
EB: hey, hang on...  
EB: shit, you know my last name.  
CG: YEAH, I FUCKING KNOW YOUR LAST NAME AND I KNOW ABOUT YOUR SHITTY BAND AND YOUR FUCKING FAME AND ALL YOUR GODDAMNED FANS.  
CG: AND YOU KNOW WHAT?  
CG: NOW YOUR GODDAMNED FANS KNOW ABOUT ME, TOO.  
CG: I'VE GOTTEN FIFTY-EIGHT FRIEND REQUESTS ON FACEBOOK IN THE LAST HOUR ALONE.  
EB: oh, man, karkat, i'm so sorry.  
CG: YEAH, YOU SHOULD BE.  
CG: I WENT OUT TODAY AND GOT STOPPED IN THE MALL BECAUSE SOMEONE I DIDN'T KNOW FUCKING KNEW WHO I WAS.  
CG: THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I'M OK WITH, ASSHOLE.  
EB: come on, it isn't that bad!  
EB: i'm sure they totally love you!  
CG: I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS IF THEY LOVE ME OR NOT BECAUSE I *DO NOT* WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR HANGING OUT WITH SOME DUMBASS MUSICIAN.  
CG: ALL I WANTED WAS TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL AND GO TO COLLEGE AND START MY OWN BUSINESS AND BE QUIETLY SUCCESSFUL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, BUT NO.  
CG: NOW ALL I'LL EVER BE IS 'THAT GUY WHO HUNG OUT WITH JOHN EGBERT THAT ONE TIME'.  
EB: no way!  
EB: they'll forget all about you in a week!  
CG: THAT IS SO FUCKING REASSURING.  
CG: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RUBBING IT IN MY FACE THAT ALL I AM IS A MOMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT VALUE FOR THEM.  
CG: THAT  
CG: IS  
CG: THE  
CG: FUCKING  
CG: PROBLEM!  
EB: karkat, calm down, please!  
CG: DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO, FUCKER.  
CG: DON'T EVEN FUCKING SAY ANYTHING ELSE.  
CG: BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT?  
CG: I'M FUCKING DONE WITH YOU.  
CG: I AM SO FUCKING DONE TALKING TO YOU.  
CG: I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU.  
EB: karkat, please! don't do this! i'm sorry, ok?  
CG: NO, IT'S NOT OK.  
CG: IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOT OK.  
CG: THERE IS AN ABSOLUTELY ZERO PERCENT CHANCE THAT THERE IS A SINGLE POSSIBLE SITUATION IN WHICH THIS WOULD BE OK.  
CG: SO YOU CAN JUST GO FUCK YOURSELF.

\--carcinoGeneticist [CG] has ceased trolling ectoBiologist [EB] at 21:13:48--

\--carcinoGeneticist [CG] has blocked ectoBiologist [EB] -- 

Your name is John Egbert and you fucked up so bad.

You completely ruined everything by not telling Karkat who you are. You should have known that he would find out on his own. But even if you had, who could have guessed that he would take it this badly? You slam your computer shut and drop your head into your hands, filled with self-loathing.

Karkat is never going to talk to you again and it's all your fault. He's right, you are a piece of shit. God, he was so angry.

You stay slouched in your computer chair, face pressed into your hands, for a long time before finally straightening miserably. You need help. You need advice. You need to talk to your dad. You stand and leave your room, shoulders hunched and hands shoved into your pockets. You find him in the livingroom, reading the newspapers, the picture of the fatherly ideal. You wish you could be that perfect. Everything he does is exactly right, he never messes up, and he's always right. After a few moments he looks up at you and his brow furrows in concern when he sees how unhappy you look.

"Are you alright, son?" He asks, setting the paper on his lap. You stare down at the ground, shuffling your feet a little, before giving a quick, stiff shake of the head.

"I messed up, Dad." He straightens and pats the seat next to him on the couch.

"Come talk to me about it," he replies encouragingly, and you drift over and flop onto the couch, shoulders tight with sadness. "So what happened?"

"I had this friend, Karkat," you begin, then stop.

"Had?" He prompts gently.

"I really, really messed up." The story spills out of you, from the very beginning, and by the end you're sniffling and your eyes are red from trying not to cry. Your Dad stares thoughtfully into the distance for a few moments before looking back to you.

"It sounds like you really hurt your friend's feelings," he begins and you nod helplessly. "But hurt feelings aren't always the end of the world. It was wrong to keep something so big from him when it can affect a relationship so deeply, but you might be able to fix it. You just need to find the right way to make it up to him."

"Like what?" You stare at him tearfully, chewing on your lip. He considers for a moment again.

"I couldn't say for sure...I don't know Karkat. But you need to come up with a way to let him know how much his friendship means to you. You need to make sure he knows that you care a lot about him and you never meant to upset him." You nod and open your mouth to speak, but he shakes his head. "I'm not promising anything, son. He might completely reject your apology; some people do that. Or he might accept the apology but decide that he still doesn't want to be friends anymore. And that's his decision. But you should still try. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," you agree, nodding, then stare down at your lap. "He blocked me on pesterchum, though, I don't know how I'm going to apologize."

"Do you know where he lives?" You blink, then give a nod 

"Yeah, I dropped him off at home once," you agree slowly.

"Well, don't go now, it's much too late. But maybe tomorrow you should stop by and apologize in person. It's always better to do this kind of thing face to face, anyway."

"Right. Thanks, Dad." You give him a grateful smile and he claps a hand on your shoulder, smiling back gently.

"Any time, son. I'm glad I could help." You nod and stand, then bid him goodnight and make your way back to your room. You stare at your computer for several long minutes before turning away from it and collapsing onto your bed. You don't want to talk to anyone right now; you just want to feel sorry for yourself until you fall asleep.

Unfortunately, this only lasts a few minutes before your self-pity turns into self-loathing. This is all your fault, you don't get to indulge in feeling sorry for yourself. You need to think about what to do to make this up to Karkat.

You try for hours to come up with an idea, and when you finally fall asleep you dream about showing up at his house and presenting him with a circus, but somehow you don't think that would help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but whatever. I thought I'd churn one out as long as I'm writing.  
> EDIT: I wanna let you guys know what's going on. I haven't updated in a while, I know, and I'm really sorry.  
> Have you ever typed out an entire chapter, accidentally closed the tab without saving, and then felt incredibly demoralized because you know that when you try to rewrite it you'll be trying to copy the old chapter and it will be rushed and you'll miss the details and it won't be good?  
> I have.  
> So I'm letting the chapter fade from my mind and once I've forgotten most of it, I'll write a new version.  
> I'll do my best to pump out a bunch of chapters at once because you're all wonderful people and if you want to read this then I want to write it and you deserve a reward for not hating me (I hope).


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while...sorry.   
> I decided that updating in honor of 4/13 would be cool, I guess.  
> It's kind of short, though.  
> I'll do my best to churn out another chapter in a more reasonable time period!

You wait until about two in the afternoon to head over to Karkat's house, and end up waiting almost another half hour before finally working up the courage to get out of your car. It's for the best, you suppose; it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get him madder by showing up first thing in the morning. If there's one thing you've learned about Karkat by now, it's that he likes to sleep late and doesn't wake up happy.

You hesitate when you reach the door, fidgeting and shuffling your feet nervously for several minutes. What if he's still mad at you? Who are you kidding, of course he's still mad at you. But what if he isn't willing to forgive you? What if he won't even give you a chance? You droop a little at the thought ad you wonder if maybe you should just give up now and leave him alone to hate you in peace. You'd probably deserve it anyway. The decision is made for you, however, when the door opens.

A middle-aged man stands in front of you, looking surprised. He studies you for a moment, and you stare back at him in shock. He's tall and pale, with plenty of scars adorning what skin you can see around the slightly worn white button down shirt.

"Uh, hello, sir!" You burst after a moment, straightening. "My name is John...is Karkat home?" He studies you for another moment, then gives a curt nod. As he turns his head towards the house, you think that he must be the quiet, stoic type.

"Hey, kid!" He bellows, completely shattering your previous image of him. "Someone here to see you!" He turns back and gives you another nod before walking past you out to his car.

"Who is it?" You twitch when you hear Karkat's voice getting closer. "I swear to god, Gamzee, if that's you..." He comes around the corner and freezes at the sight of you.

"Hi, Karkat," you give a sheepish little wave, but your hope dissolves as his face quickly darkens.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" He stalks towards the door, shaking his head. "You know what? I don't give a fuck. Go away." He goes to slam the door shut but you manage to wedge your foot in before he can. You yelp as it hits your foot, and he glares at you through the crack in the door.

"Karkat, please," you beg, bracing a hand against the door and trying to alleviate the crushing force on your foot. "Just hear me out."

"Fuck that," he spits, but eases up on the door, apparently realizing that you aren't going to budge. "You're an asshole and I don't want to listen to anything you have to say."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," you whine. "Really! I just thought it was really nice having a normal friend for once and I didn't want to mess it up!" The door flies open to reveal Karkat seething on the other side.

"There are so many fucking things wrong with what you just said, Egbert, so I'll take them one at a time. First, you didn't _hurt my feelings._  I'm not some delicate little daisy that you stepped on. You threw me to the goddamned sharks, as far as I'm concerned. I'm famous now and I didn't even know it! Second,I'm your  _normal_ friend, huh? As opposed to what, your incredibly glamorous, interesting hollywood friends? Finally, _you fucked it up so bad._ "

"I know, I know I did, and I'm really sorry! But that's not what I meant! I just meant that you're someone who treats me like  _I'm_ normal...not that I'm special or something, it's just that everyone treats me different because I've got all this money I don't need and I'm in a famous band and all this shit. Look, I really like you as a person, Karkat, you're one of the coolest people I've ever met! Seriously! I really like talking to you and hanging out with you and I don't want that to end just because I'm this huge fuck-up who couldn't tell you the truth because I'm a big wimp. Please don't be mad, Karkat, I'm really, really sorry." He glowers at you for a moment before speaking again.

"Sorry doesn't change what you did," he growls, but his lips aren't turned quite as far down as they had been before. You take that as a good sign. "Thank god I'm already out of school for the summer, I can't imagine the hell I would be going through right now if I still had to live through that shit every day. And hopefully by the time school starts again it will have died down..." The last sentence seemed like it was mostly to himself, so you decide not to comment. You stand silently, hands stuffed in your pockets, as he glares at the ground, apparently mulling over what to do about you. "Ok, look," he finally huffs. "I can hold a fucking grudge, don't get me wrong, but..." He glances up at you, and most of his anger is fading from his eyes. "You really are sorry?"

"I really, really am!" You exclaim quickly, shoulders lifting again with hope. He looks back down again, thinking.

"I like hanging out with you, too," he admits begrudgingly. "Even if you are an incredibly infuriating asshole who threw me down the toilet."

"That's kind of a weird metaphor," you giggle nervously, but he ignores you.

"So I guess I would be ok with us staying friends." Your face splits open into a wide grin and you open your mouth to speak, but suddenly his hand is clapped over your lips and he's glowering out you. "Conditions! There are conditions!" You give a little nod, eyes meeting his, and he holds up a finger. "One. You never fucking hide something like this from me again. Hopefully you don't have any more huge secrets that the rest of the world knows, but one can never be sure. Two." A second finger. "You are  _not_ going to suddenly flood me with shit about your band. I'm not wearing your tee shirts, I'm not listening to your cds, and I'm not watching your music videos. Got it?" You nod again and he holds up a third finger. "Three: I will be in the spotlight as little as humanly possible. That being said, I am not going to be a secret. I am not going to be a little  _normal_ person you have tucked away somewhere hidden that only you get to see. I am not ok with secret-keeping." He drops his hand. "Agreed?"

"Definitely!" You're practically bouncing out of your skin with happiness. This went really well, you think! He nods, relaxing a little, and glances around.

"So, were you going to go home, or...?"

"Do you want me to?" All you want to do right now is make Karkat happy. You're thrilled that he's not mad at you anymore, and you want to let him know that he's made the right decision by forgiving you.

"You can come in, I guess, if you want to. I was just watching some movies."

"Sounds cool!" You beam at him and follow him inside as he steps out of the way. "What are you watching?"

"Hitch." He smirks as your expression falls a little. "What, did you think I would be watching action movies? Fuck that, Egbert." He's calling you by your last name now? You aren't sure how you feel about that. "You just walked in on the middle of a romcom marathon. Buckle up, asshole, it's going to be a fucking emotional roller coaster in here."

You've had enough of those for one day, frankly, but you decide not to say anything. It's better to watch shitty movies with a guy you like than sit in your room alone, after all.

Wait, no, that wording was weird. It made it sound like you  _like_ Karkat. Like... _like_ like him.

That is way too make 'likes' in one sentence. You shove the thought aside and return to rephrasing the original one.

It's better to watch shitty movies with a friend you like. No, that's not any better. A cool friend, how about that?

It's better to watch shitty movies with a cool friend than sit in your room alone.

Yeah.

Fuck.


	10. Chapter 10

You assumed that it would be easy. You assumed that once Karkat had forgiven you, everything would go back to the way it had been. You two could go back to being good friends who just chill and talk and go do stuff together.

You assumed wrong. Karkat is your friend again, sure, but it's different now. He's suspicious of your motives and mistrustful when you tell him something. He only wants to talk about superficial things like movies and the internet, and he won't even acknowledge you if you bring any of that up. But the worst thing is that he refuses to be seen in public with you. You don't blame him, of course; he doesn't want to be in the spotlight, and you can respect that, but you didn't think that that would mean he didn't want to go anywhere with you at all. So now your only interactions have been online or at his house, because he says he doesn't want to be seen showing up at your house. You hate the restrictions, but they fall under the conditions of his forgiveness so you don't say anything about them, only occasionally letting out unhappy sighs or grunts when he denies you something.

On one such day, you're sprawled on his bedroom floor, bored out of your mind.

"I don't want to watch any more romcoms," you whine. "We've watched all the ones you own like, four times. I practically have them memorized by now." He frowns down at you from the bed.

"Well what do _you_ want to do, then?" He challenges.

"We could go get some ice cream or something. I want ice cream." You suggest hopefully, but the hope fades as you see his frown deepen.

"Absolutely not. If you want ice cream, you can go get it by yourself, because I'm not going."

"Please, Karkat?" You pout at him but he only narrows his eyes in response so you give up and roll onto your stomach, face pressing into the rough carpet. "Well, I don't know, then." There's a long silence before he groans and flops over.

"I don't want to see my dad right now, so it's either stay in here and wallow in the painful misery that boredom provides, or we could go to your house."

"What, seriously?" You turn your face towards him, surprised.

"Yeah." He shrugs, a little awkwardly from his position. "I have to admit, I am kind of curious. Not that I give a shit about some mansion, but I kind of want to see what your room is like. Besides, you've been digging through my shit for long enough."

"I haven't been digging through your shit," you protest. "That's gross!" He groans again and you laugh.

"That's not what I meant, fuckface, and you know that, so just shut that ugly, lopsided mouth of yours before I rip your lips off." You giggle and nod, sitting up.

"Yeah, yeah. So did you want to go now?"

"I guess so." You beam and wriggle excitedly as you climb to your feet, shooting him another grin as he snorts.

"You'e like an excited puppy," he scoffs, amused.

"Woof," you agree, laughing again. "Now come on, let's go!"

"Calm your fucking shit, Egbert, I need to put my shoes on. Go start your car or whatever and stop crowding me."

"Sure thing. Don't take too long!" You leave him in the bedroom, waving goodbye to Karkat's dad as you pass him. You slide into the car and start it, rolling the windows down with a smile. It's a gorgeous day. Karkat emerges a few minutes later, shouting something at his dad, then he slams the door behind him and hurries to your car, cheeks red. "Are you ok?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." You glowers as he slides into the passenger seat, slumping in what looks like misery. You hesitate, fingers stroking the wheel.

"You know, you don't have to come if you don't want to..." You inform him unhappily. He shoots you a startled glance.

"Huh? I said I wanted to, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you just look so down."

"No, shithead, I'm fine! It's just my stupid fucking dad. Can we just go already?" Karkat's blushing bright red now, and your brow furrows in confusion but after just another moment you shrug and pull away from the house.

"Whatever you say," your lips purse slightly in contemplation as you wonder what Karkat and his dad could have been arguing about. It could be anything; they seem to do a whole lot of arguing. You let out the breath you were holding while you thought and glance at Karkat. "So do you want to play video games or something when we get there?"

"Do you have anything that isn't completely stupid?"

"Of course I do! None of my games are completely stupid!" You fall silent for a moment, considering. "Ok, well, there are one or two that are pretty stupid. But not all of them! We could play Mario Kart or something."

"That's fine." He's looking out the window and you smile at the look on his face. It's a mixture of relief and calm and you've so rarely seen him wear anything like it. You almost want to say something about it, but you know that if you do, the expression will disappear. It will be replaced by the more common one of irritation and his mouth will open and he'll shout at you and he might even try not to let you see it again, so you keep your mouth shut and just admire the slight upward tilt of his lips out of the corner of your eye.

Too soon, you're pulling up to your house. You watch Karkat's face as he takes in the outside. 

"It's not as big as I thought it would be," he says slowly, sounding relieved. "But still pretty fucking big." You laugh.

"Yeah...well, it's just me and my dad, so we don't really need anything like where my friend Dave lives. We just like to have to room so people can come over, you know?"

"Yeah." He stares at the house for another moment, then turns to look at you. "So are we getting out or what?" You grin and nod, undoing your seat belt and hopping out as he does the same. You lead the way up to the door.

"My dad isn't here right now, it'll just be the two of us. Are you hungry or something? We could get something to eat before we do anything else."

"That sounds good," he agrees absently, looking around as you enter the house. You guide him into the kitchen and pop some popcorn at his suggestion, then grab a couple of sodas for the two of you. "So is your dad at work or something?"

"Yeah." You hand him his soda and retrieve the popcorn from the microwave. "Until five."

"It seems like he wouldn't need to work, with you being rich and famous and shit," he says. It sounds like a challenge, but you don't rise to the bait.

"I guess, but we don't want to rely on my money. The entertainment world is fickle, you know? Someday everyone's going to lose interest in us and the money is going to go away. So why get lazy in the meantime?" You dump the popcorn into a bowl and catch the tail end of an approving nod as you turn to face him again, "Ready?"

"Ready." You both head into the living room. You pass the food off to him while you set up the game, then return to flop down next to him, controllers in hand. You pass him one with a grin and start the game.

You play for about half an hour before your phone rings. It's the text tone, so you leave it until you finish the course, then snatch it up.

"It's my friend Dave," you inform him, ignoring him as he rolls his eyes and starts ranting about how he doesn't care which losers he doesn't know texts you. You cringe as you read the message. "Well, you might care in a minute," you tell him, turning to give him a sheepish grin. "He wants to come over."

"What?" He glowers. "Egbert, I don't want to meet your friends. I am definitely not even a tiny bit interested." You give a quick nod.

"I'll tell him no," you reply, fingers stabbing at the keys. "There." You grin again, more confidently this time, before picking up your controller again. "Which race now?"

You should have known that Dave would come over anyway.

You also should have known that he wouldn't bother knocking.

Had you realized either of those things, you might have remembered how quiet he is when he wants to be and he takes great pride in his ability to sneak up on you.

However, you don't, so the tap on the shoulder scares the shit out of you.

"Dave! What are you doing here?" You turn to face him, pausing the game. You glance at Karkat, who's staring at Dave with wide eyes.

"I said I wanted to come over," he replies. You can't tell for sure behind his shades, but you're pretty sure he's looking at Karkat.

"I said no!"

"Who cares what you say?" His lips quirk up a little and yeah, he's definitely looking at Karkat now. "Hey. I'm Dave. You must be John's boyfriend." Karkat and you both splutter nonsense back, before you finally jump up and punch at his shoulder.

"Shut up! I've told you a million times he's not my boyfriend!" He dodges, probably showing off his speed, too. He tends to do that around new people.

"Yeah, yeah." He steps around you and holds out a hand to Karkat. "Good to finally meet you, man." Karkat takes his hand, looking confused, but his cheeks burn bright red as, instead of shaking his hand, he lifts it to his lips with a smirk. You screech and slap at his arms and back.

"Dave, knock it off! Stop being weird! What about Jade, huh! Jaaaade!"

"What about Jade? I'm not doing anything." He lets Karkat's hand go, smirk still firmly in place as he takes in the expression of mixed fluster and outrage on Karkat's face.

"Daaave, go away! I told you you couldn't come over!"

"Come on, don't be a dick." He turns to Karkat again with a leer. "I can stay, right, cutie?" You let out another irritated groan, but Karkat speaks before you.

"Don't call me cutie, shitface," he snaps, apparently regaining his senses. "I'm not interested in hanging out with some wannabee bigshot who thinks he's all that just because he's got a lot of money and some dumb sunglasses. Got it, asshole?" Dave actually looks surprised for a moment, but then his face goes back to neutral. His voice, though, sounds approving.

"Got it, kid."

"Don't call me kid, either. Call me by my name. Based on the fact that you called me his boyfriend, I guess he talks about me so I'm sure you already know it."

"Karkat, then," Dave agrees, lips turning up again. "Seriously, good to meet you, man." Karkat lets out a huff.

"Yeah, whatever. Look, you're standing in the way of the screen, so either shit down and shut the fuck up or go away. John and I are busy."

"Don't mind if I do." Dave scoops up the bowl of popcorn from the spot between him and yours, but you slide into the spot before he can. You don't want to risk them getting into a fight or something. It doesn't occur to you that they seem to be getting along time now. 

"You can sit here, Dave!" You pat the spot next to you. "Oh, grab a controller if you want to, I guess. If that's ok with you?" You direct the last question towards Karkat, who shrugs.

"Yeah, that's fine. I don't give a shit."

"Alright, if you're going to twist my arm about it, then I might as well." He grabs a third controller and sits next to you, looking pleased with himself. "Let the games begin."

What an asshole.


	11. Chapter 11

"I approve."

"Huh?"

Dave sticks around long after the two of you dropped Karkat off at home. You're beginning to wonder if he intends to stay the night.

"I said I approve. Of Karkat, I mean."

"What, seriously?"

"Yeah. He's a pretty cool guy. Fun to fuck with, but I can kind of tell he's got something going on underneath, you know?"

"Yeah, definitely." You smile at Dave.

"And he's got a great ass." 

"Daaaave!" You groan, punching his shoulder. He lets you hit him this time.

"You aren't denying it," he teases, punching back.

"Shut up! I don't want to diss his ass or anything. I just haven't been looking." You blush. Ok, maybe you have been looking. But that's none of his business. Besides, it's not like you did it on purpose.  He just stood up to get another soda and walked in front of the screen, it's not your fault. You huff and catch Dave trying not to laugh. "You're an asshole, Dave."

"Yeah, but you don't mind." And you don't most of the time. It's just part of who he is. But sometimes, admittedly, it can really steam you.

"Well, anyway, I'm glad you like him."

"But you hope I don't like him too much."

"That's not true! You can like him however much you want to. I don't care."

"You're not fooling anybody, dude. I saw your face when I kissed him, you were about to blow a gasket."

"You didn't kiss him, you kissed his hand," you retort irritably. "It's different."

"See? You're defending his kiss-virginity. You want to pop that cherry yourself."

"First of all, eew, Dave, that's gross and weird. And second, that's not even a little true."

"I don't believe that for a second, and I don't think that you do, either." He smirks as you huff again, flopping back against the couch. You both fall silent as he flips idly through Netflix and you think. You're actually beginning to wonder if maybe it is true. Maybe he's right. You do feel kind of protective of Karkat, and you want to spend a lot of time with him. You want to be his best friend and you want to be able to take him places and do things and have so much fun doing  _anything._  Do you want to kiss him? You aren't sure. You picture his face, his lips, and imagine pressing your own against them. You wonder if they're soft. They look soft. Too thin to be girly, definitely a boy's mouth, but definitely still attractive.

You think you might want to kiss him. You wonder how he would react if you tried.

"Hey Dave?"

"Hmm?" You glance over at him, studying the way the red from the tv screen reflects off his shades in the otherwise dark room.

"Do you think Karkat's gay?" He turns his head slightly and you know he's looking at you out of the corner of his eye. The long silence tells you he's deciding whether or not to tease you.

"Hard to say, man," he says finally. Apparently he's taken pity on you, thank god. "I'd say he could be hungering for some dick." Or maybe not. "He didn't freak out...well, ok, he did freak out when I kissed his hand, but I don't think it was because I'm a dude. I think it was probably just because I'm some guy who kissed his hand. Admittedly, that was one of my weirder stunts, but I wanted to see how you two dorks would react. Well, anyway, he might be, and I think that's about the best I can do for you, Egbert. I'd say at the very least, he's open to the idea and is ok with other people being gay." He shrugs and you nod slowly.

"Do you think he might like me?"

"I think he probably does. He seems like the kind of guy who doesn't put up with a lot of shit, and you deal out a fuckload of it, so he must like you enough to wade through it." He's silent for a moment. "Maybe it's platonic. Maybe he just thinks you're a cool guy who's fun enough to put up with all the idiocy or whatever. But there is definitely a chance that he wants to make sweet, sweet love to you and bear you eight children." You groan at the sudden downward spiral.

"Ugh, can't you take anything seriously?"

"Dude, I take everything seriously." He selects something and you glance up to see Demitri Martin on the screen; something you can both agree on. Dave swears up and down that this guy knows exactly what it means to be cool and spurns it so ironically that it makes him at least ten thousand percent cooler. You just like his jokes. You both settle into silence again as you watch the on-screen antics, before he finally speaks again. "I asked Jade out."

"Really? That's awesome!"

"Yeah, I guess so." He looks pleased with himself. "We're going to the movies the day after tomorrow."

"What are you going to see?"

"Fuck if I know. Something she wanted to see. I don't really care, I guess. I just want to be there with her." You giggle a little.

"That's adorabe, Dave. Hey, and now I can tease you about your girlfriend like you've been teasing me about Karkat!"

"Not likely," he retorts. "Because if I don't kick your ass for it, Jade will, and you know she won't go easy on your sorry ass like I would." You sigh.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"There's no probably about it, dumbass. She would beat your shit into the ground."

"Yeah." Your attention turns back to the screen for a few minutes.

"Is it cool if I stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, absolutely. You know, you stay over so often that I should give you your own room. Or at least a drawer."

"I already keep that bad of clothes under your bed," he reminds you, and you nod.

"Yeah, I know. It's really hard to resist the temptation of putting itching powder in them or something. You're welcome for being such a good friend, Dave." He makes that little head motion that means he's rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks for not murdering me at every chance you get, Egbert. I appreciate that. What a kind and generous soul you are. I'm gonna go grab something to eat. You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm ok. Thanks." It says a lot that he asks if you want anything from your own kitchen while he stuffs his face. You don't mind, though, and neither does your dad. He loves Dave like a son. And he practically is your brother, as close as you two are. You love it.

He returns with popcorn and more sodas and you end up taking some of his anyway.

You drift off to the sound of Katt Williams and Dave's snore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so shooooooooort  
> I just wanted to include a little chapter with a best friends feelings jam.  
> I'll do my best to update again soon.


	12. Chapter 12

CG: TOUR?

EB: yeah. sixteen concerts over the course of two months.

CG: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

EB: what?

CG: NEVERMIND. WHEN DOES THE TOUR START?

EB: two weeks from now.

CG: WHY ARE YOU JUST NOW BRINGING IT UP, DIPSHIT?

EB: you said you didn't want to hear about my band or anything!

CG: WELL YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST TOLD ME YOU WERE LEAVING.

CG: UGH, WELL, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

CG: SO YOU'LL BE GONE UNTIL AFTER SCHOOL STARTS?

EB: yeah. sorry, karkat!

CG: AND JUST AS I WAS FINALLY GETTING USED TO THE IDEA HAVING YOUR UGLY MUG IN MY FACE FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER.

EB: i really am sorry!

EB: and you dont really think i'm ugly, do you?

CG: SOMETIMES I MISS THE BEAGLE PUSS GLASSES.

EB: what? no way! are you serious?

CG: OF COURSE NOT, DUMBASS. WHAT KIND OF VAIN ASSHOLE ASKS IF PEOPLE THINK HE'S UGLY?

EB: oh, uh.

EB: hehe, i guess i should have realized that, huh?

CG: NO SHIT.

EB: sorry!

CG: STOP APOLOGIZING ALREADY.

EB: yeah, ok. so do you want to hang out soon?

 

You sigh and lean back in the chair. Time is flying by really quickly. When it was first arranged, you were thrilled about the tour; it's your first one. But now that you'll be missing out on two months of hanging out with Karkat, you kind of wish you didn't have to go. You wonder if it would be weird to invite him along.

 

CG:YEAH, DEFINITELY.

CG: WE SHOULD STUFF AS MUCH OF OUR VALUABLE TIME WITH  EACH OTHER'S INFURIATING COMPANY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE YOU HEARTLESSLY ABSCOND, LEAVING ME ON MY OWN FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS.

 

Your heart flutters helplessly. He wants to hang out with you and he's upset that you're leaving.

 

CG: JUST KIDDING, OF COURSE.

 

Oh. 

 

CG: SO ANYWAY, YEAH. DO YOU WANT TO COME OVER TOMORROW?

EB: uuuh. i have a band practice tomorrow.

CG: WELL, SHIT.

EB: i know you don't want to have anything to do with my band or whatever, but you could come if you want?

CG: ...I DON'T KNOW.

CG: I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE KIND OF WEIRD.

CG: I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THEM.

EB: there's only four of us!

EB: and you already know me and dave!

CG: SO DAVE *IS* PART OF THE BAND. I GUESS I KIND OF KNEW THAT.

CG: WE'LL SEE, I GUESS.

EB: yeah, ok.

EB: i hope you come!

EB: rose and jade are really cool.

EB: i bet they'd love you!

CG: I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHETHER YOUR FUCKING BANDMATES LOVE ME OR NOT.

EB: yeah, i know, i'm just saying. they're cool and i think you would all get along really well!

CG: WHATEVER. I NEED TO GO, OK? I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

EB: sure, i'll talk to you later.

\--carcinoGeneticist [CG] has ceased trolling ectoBiologist [EB] at 14:45:13--

 

You sigh again. You idly think that it was probably the deepest sigh of all, but the thought is pushed out of your mind a moment later as you go back to daydreaming about Karkat hanging out with you and Dave and Rose and Jade. You wonder if they would all become friends. You fantastize about Karkat coming on tour with all of you. You imagine him on the bus, shouting and demanding that someone put a romcom in the dvd player. You picture him backstage during a concert, hanging around in the corner of your eye so that if you glance into side stage, he'll be there. You think of pulling him aside one warm, clear evening, somewhere with fireflies, and kissing him.

He would love that.

You get up and flop onto the bed. Your fingers curl into the blankets as you wonder what it would be like to hold him. You wonder again what his lips would feel like under yours, and what his hair would feel like, and his cheeks as your fingers brushed over them or you held them in your hands.

You close your eyes and pretend you can feel his lips, his skin, his body pressed against yours, the two of you tucked away in some corner, where prying eyes can't reach. You imagine softly murmuring his name and hearing him whisper yours back.

You really, really want to kiss him.

You wonder if he wants to kiss you, too. You hope so.

You roll over and close your eyes and try to sleep, but your mind is wide awake with thoughts of him.


	13. Chapter 13

Two months drag by more slowly than you could have ever imagined.

You pester Karkat whenever you find the time, much to the amusement of your bandmates, but those times are few and far betwen. He seems frustrated with your lack of availability, but what time you aren't onstage, you're planning or eating or sleeping or rehearsing. Your friends, for their part, try to give you a few mintues whenever they can. Dave, especially, seems like he's practically trying to hook the two of you up despite your lack of proximity. You aren't sure whether to be grateful or irritated. On more than one occasion, you've had to pull him aside and tell him to back off, because not only was he accidentally tipping off the girls to your affections, but he's implying that you can't do anything about them yourself.

As much as you wish you were home, it's great to see the fans. You do love applause.

They're still the longest two months of your life.

Finally you reach the last week. The last concert. You brush off the papparazzi in the back and you manage to shoot Karkat a text before you have to get ready for the show, but in seemigly no time the four of you are being ushered onto backstage. You grin at Dave as you hear the crowd screaming and calling for Sburb, and then you're in the lights, blinded by them, faced by a mass of screaming fans. The volume surrounds you and you grin, blinking quickly, trying to make out the faces past the first two rows. Then you hear the scream of Dave's electric guitar, cutting through the sounds of people, and then the four of you are launched head first into the music. The breaks between songs aren't so much stops as pauses in the flow. You're swallowed by the euphoria of the music and the crowd and the lights and everything is perfect all the way up until the shrieking finish of your final song. The crowd bursts into cheers and the four of you stand at your instruments, gasping for breath, sweating under the lights, the ecstatic energy still lingering in the air. You see Dave look at you, then he's walking over, gesturing for Rose and Jade to come too. The crowd quiets as they try to hear you.

"How about one more?" Dave murmurs, grinning. You all stare at him, still panting, then Jade shrugs.

"I'm up for one more!" She agrees breathlessly.

"Yeah, I think I can do one last song," you agree with a tired little grin. You all turn to Rose, who nods after a moment..

"What did you have in mind?" she asks, lips quirking up in a way that makes you thinks she already knows.

"TBOSRE.," he looks so pleased with himself.

"We haven't actually put that one out yet," Jade replies uncertainly.

"So what?"

"Altight, I'm in," you agree.

"Me, too." Rose smiles.

"Well, alright then! Let's do it!" Jade turns and flounces back across the stage, while Dave and Rose head up to the microphone.  Dave takes it before Rose can and shoots her a smile, waiting while the noise of the crowd quiets again.

"What do you guys say to one more song?" The eruption of cheers washes over the stage, making you laugh. "Well then, this one's to our dear Kitkat, whether he's watching or not." Dave smirks against the microphone, his head turning slightly so he can see you. You gape back at him, cheeks flushing. "The Beginning of Something Really Excellent."

-

You wait until you're back on the bus to confront Dave.

"Dave, what the heck? You can't just go mentioning Karkat on a stage in front of who  _knows_  how many people!" You're whining, frustrated and worried that Karkat will blame you when he finds out.

"I didn't. I mentioned Kitkat. They can't be sure that's him." He smirks at you, flopping down in his favorite spot. You continue frowning at him until Rose pats your shoulder.

"Why don't you send Karkat a message and find out whether he saw or not, then tell him what happened?"

"That's a good idea," you sigh, deflating a little. "Thanks, Rose." You pull out your computer, hooking up to the wifi while you listen to the others talk.

"We sounded really great on it, though!" Jade says, somehow enthusiastic despite all of your exhaustion.

"We sounded fucking excellent," Dave agrees, smirk widening. Jade giggles. You wonder for about the five hundredth time if they're officially together yet or not.

"I think that one should be on the next album," Rose volunteers. "It's clearly ready." You see the other two nod over the top of your computer.

"And maybe we can dedicate it to Kitkat," your eyes shoot up and you find Dave smirking at you. You make a face at him.

"You're an asshole, Dave." Before he can respond, Jade speaks.

"Can we meet him?"

"Huh?"

"I want to meet Karkat!"

"I have to admit, I've been wanting to meet him as well," Rose agrees with a smile.

"Pleeeeeeease?" Jade gives you her best puppy eyes and you groan.

"I'll have to ask Karkat; he hasn't really expressed interest in meeting you before, mainly because he wants to avoid being in the spotlight or whatever." You sigh. "Look, he isn't online right now, but I'll send him some messages for later and ask, ok?"

"Thanks John, you're the best!" Jade early shuts you computer when she launches herself across the aisle to hug you around the neck. You end up laughing.

"Get off, Jade!" You see a hint of an affectionate smile before Dave's face straightens again. "Hey, so what's going on with you two, huh? Are you together or what?" Jade squeaks and pulls back, returning to her seat with pink cheeks.

"Uh, well," she shoots a shy smile at Dave, who picks up the question.

"We're thinking about it. We don't want to risk messing up the band." You see Rose smile.

"That's very mature of you," she comments approvingly. Jade beams at her.

"We thought so, too."

"For what it's worth, I think you guys would make a great couple," you pipe up.

"We think so, too," Dave agrees with a smile. Dave holds a hand out to Jade and tugs her across when she takes it, planting a kiss on her giggling lips. You hoot and Rose laughs. After a moment she pulls back, beaming, and flops back into her seat next to Rose. Everyone returns to chattering as you open a chat window.

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 23:15:04--

EB: hey karkat!

EB: we just finished our last concert!

EB: i dont know if you saw or whatever, but dave kind of dedicated the last song to you

EB: he didn't say your name, he called you kitkat

EB: i hope you aren't upset, i didn  't know he was going to do that

EB: but uh

EB: yeah.

EB: we're on the way home now!

EB: well, ok, we're going to a hotel now.

EB: but in the morning we're coming home.

EB: so we should hang out soon!

EB: jade and rose want to meet you

EB: you know, the other two in the band.

EB: do you think that would be ok?

EB: it looks like some of the others are getting ready to nap

EB: so i guess i'm going to, too.

EB: im really tired.

EB: so yeah, i'll see you soon, karkat!

\--ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 23:34:58--

You close your computer and smile at Rose and Jade as they walk past you towards the bunks at the back of the bus. Dave spreads out comfortably in his seat, and you follow suit, reaching up to click off the light above you.

"This was really fun," you mutter to him, smiling. "The whole tour thing."

"Yeah," he agrees quietly. "But I'm looking forward to being home again."

"You miss Bro?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah. I miss my dad, too. It was cool that they made it to some of the concerts, though."

"Mmhmm. Although I'm not sure how I feel about Bro throwing a bra onstage." That makes you laugh softly.

"That was so funny. It hit you in the knee, didn't it?"

"Stomach."

"Did you keep it?"

"Hell yes I did."

"You're such a dumbass, Dave."

"Yeah, I know."

"Goodnight."

"Night."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it's been so long! Exams and issues I've been having with ao3 have kept me from uploading recently. I'll try not to take so long next time. Hope you like the chapter~

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 1:14:32--

EB: hi karkat!

CG: HEY, JOHN.

CG: WELCOME BACK.

EB: hehe, thanks! it's good to be home.

EB: so did you get my messages?

CG: YEAH.

CG: I'M NOT MAD.

CG: DAVE IS AN ASSHOLE, THOUGH.

EB: yeah, he is, but it's hard to hold it against him because i think he was just trying to help.

CG: WITH WHAT?

EB: nothing!

EB: anyway, do you want to come over today?

EB: i'm really too tired to go out but i'd like to see you.

CG: WELL HOW ABOUT THAT, JOHN EGBERT MISSED ME. I'M SO FUCKING FLATTERED I MIGHT JUST CREAM MYSELF.

EB: eew, karkat, that's gross!

EB: are you going to come over or what?

CG: YEAH, I GUESS SO.

CG: WHAT TIME?

EB: any time is fine with me!

EB: you could come over now, if you wanted.

EB: of course, you dont have to!

CG: RIGHT.

CG: WELL, I GUESS I'LL HEAD OVER THERE SOON.

CG: SEE YOU.

EB: see you soon, karkat!

You close your computer, smiling, and head down the hall to tell your dad that you're hanving company over. Once he approves, you go downstairs and start sorting through your movies and games for something Karkat might want to watch or play. You can't wait to see him again; it feels like it's been forever. You wonder if he missed you as much as you missed him. You hope so. You stare down at the movie in your hands: a romcom you picked out so that Karkat would have something he likes here. You have quite a few movies like this, now. You glance up at the small collection of movies that all have a male and female standing looking at each other longingly. They look pretty shitty to you, still, but whatever. Karkat likes them, and he likes picking out the movies you watch, so you might as well give him a few options. And you've heard that these are pretty classic, for their genre.

It isn't long before you hear a knock on the door. You bound to your feet and rush to the door, throwing it open with a grin plastered on your face. 

"Karkat!"

"Hey, John," the way he grins back at you makes your chest tighten.

"Holy shit, dude," Your grin turns into an awed stare. "You grew!"

"I sure as fuck did," He looks smug. "I'm at least as tall as you now. See?" He steps closer and you can feel your cheeks getting warm. "Ha! I might even be taller!"

"No way," You frown, straightening to measure for yourself. "Definitely not taller." You pull back before he can contest your judgement and wave him in. "Come on! Don't stand in the door all day." He snorts and rolls his eyes, but steps inside as you turn and trot into the livingroom. You hear the door close, then he follows you in. "So, do you want to watch something, or we could play something..."

"Actually," Karkat speaks up, his voice sounding slightly uncertain. You look up at him. "I was wondering if we could just talk."

"Oh," you blink, then grin, standing from where you were kneeling on the floor in front of the TV. "Sure, that's cool." You flop onto the couch, and he copies you. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, like I said, I saw your messages. About Dave."

"Oh. Right." You shift, suddenly anxious.

"No, calm down, it's ok! I told you I'm not mad." He holds his hands out in a placating gesture, then drops them into his lap. "I decided that I wanted to see for myself and I managed to find some shitty youtube recording of the last few songs." You laugh. "Like I said, it was really shitty, but...the music caught my interest. So..." He blushes a little. "I checked out some of your songs."

"You did?" You straighten, staring at him. "What did you think?" His opinion is so much more important to you than any record company's had been.

"It was pretty good," he admits sheepishly, then laughs as you fist-pump the air. "Calm your shit, Egbert. It's not like I have a lot of music experience, I'm no judge or anything. But I guess I liked it."

"That's great!" You beam at him. "I'm so glad you liked it!"

"Yeah, yeah." He huffs, apparently trying to brush off your excitement and seem calm, but you can see a hint of a smile. "I just thought I ought to tell you."

"I'm glad you did," you agree with a grin. "That's definitely something I like to know." You snicker. "It's always good to hear from the fans."

"Hey," his tone turns admonishing. "Just because I listened to a couple songs doesn't make me a _fan_. I'm your friend who just happens to like your music, got it?"

"I know," you agree quickly. "I was just joking. You know better than to take me seriously." He sighs.

"I guess I'm just out of practice in dealing with your mindnumbing bullshittery," he agrees.

"I love how you talk."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" You reply quickly. "Yeah, I guess you are. It looks like I'm still pretty good at handling Grumps McGee, though."

"Grumps McGee?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm! That's you."

"Shut the fuck up, Egbert."

"Ok."

You grin at him and he rolls his eyes back, then he deliberately avoids your gaze, looking around the room in the growing silence.

"So, yeah, Jade and Rose," he eventually breaks. "When am I meeting them?" You beam.

"Well, I can set up a date sometime soon. I'll pester everybody tonight and schedual some time where you can all come over here at the same time or something. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." He nods, then the room falls into silence again. He goes back to scrolling his eyes around the walls and you find yourself staring at his face. He's really kind of cute. Maybe handsome. You aren't really sure; it could be either. His eyes are wide and he's got really thick eyelashes, but he has a strong jaw, too. You find yourself staring at his lips again. It takes way too long for you to realize Karkat is watching you. "Got a problem, asshole?" Your eyes dart up to his and fuck, how long has he been staring at you?  
"No problem!" You yelp, quickly turning your head away. You want to kiss him, that's the problem. You wonder how he would react.

"There had better not be." He's still eyeing you warily, though. You consider telling him how you feel. You quickly reject the idea, but a few moments later it enters your head again and you examine it slowly. The worst that could happen would be that he says he's not into you, which, admittedly, would be pretty bad, but not the end of the world. You struggle with the words until he speaks again. "Are you ok? You look like you're choking."

"I'm fine," you gasp back, then realize you hadn't been breathing. "Totally fine. I, um." You need to say it before you can stop yourself. "Karkat, I have something I want to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Another eyebrow raise. "What's up?"

"I, um." You swallow, sitting up again. "You see," you can't get the words out. You can't do it. You can't bear the idea of him saying no and everything getting awkward.

"Look, you're starting to worry me. Just spit it out, ok?"

"I like..." You. The word dies in your throat and you wimp out. "Someone."

"What, seriously? Who is she?" You're trembling and chewing on your lip and he's starting to look concerned.

"'snotashe."

"What?"

"It's not a she." Your face burns with embarrassment and he stares at you.

"Um. Ok, that's cool too," he says after a moment. "Who is he? Some celebrity?"

"Not a celebrity," you mutter.

"Someone I know, then?"

"Yeah," your voice is dropping in volume. "You know him."

"Dave?"

"No," the word is practically a whisper.

"Don't make me guess, asshole. I think Dave is the only guy we both know." You shake your head quickly, then look down.

"We know some other guys."

"Well, wh-" You lean in quickly and see his eyes widen before yours fall shut and you kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! How will Karkat react?


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look I wrote two chapters in a row how about that  
> One day I'll win an award for most inconsistent update speed.  
> Also  
> HEY GUESS WHAT THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER

It's not quite like you had imagined it would be. His lips are softer against yours than you would have expected and his breath brushing past your lips is warmer than you're used to. And you hadn't quite anticipated the sharp pain in your chest.

Wait, shit, that's him pushing you.

You fall back and see him gaping at you, face bright red.

"John," his brow draws in. Confusion. "What the," and in. Anger. " _Fuck_ _?_ _"_ Shit. "Egbert, you don't, you  _can't_ just start kissing someone like that!" He looks furious and you think your heart is breaking.

"Karkat, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, wait, don't go!" You jump up when he does, following him as he stalks towards the door. "I know that wasn't ok, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it, shit, Karkat, I'm sorry, please!" He spins to face you and you cringe because you think he's about to punch you.

"No shit, you shouldn't have done it! You don't just...you don't do that, Egbert!" He's fuming. "That's not something you can do! No matter how someone feels about you, whether they hate you or like you as a friend or even more, you don't just fucking surprise attack their face with your lips!"

"Karkat, please, it was just a kiss, I didn't mean to upset you,"

"My first kiss, fistfuck," he's practically growling. "Not all of us have girls all over the country throwing themselves on us. Maybe some of us wanted a really good first kiss in a nice setting with someone really great, not some sloppy facesmash on a couch with someone's dad upstairs." You're suddenly floored as his words sink in.

"Hang on," Your brow furrows. "You're mad because I took your first kiss, not because I kissed you?"

"Well," he looks uncertain. "I'm mad about both, asshole. But way more mad about the first kiss thing."

"Karkat, I'm really, really sorry. I just...wanted to tell you that I like you but I couldn't get the words out so I thought that maybe I could just kiss you and you would understand." You twist your fingers together anxiously.

"You like me," he replies flatly. "I guess I should have realized that when you kissed me."

"I'm so sorry. Look, I don't want to mess up our friendship or anything, just forget I said anything, ok? Can we do that? Please?"

"No." Your heart falls. "Absolutely not."

"Karkat, please."

"I..." now he's stammering the way you were a minute ago. "I feel the same way."

"You do?" You stare, surprised.

"Yeah." There's a long silence where you stare at him and he blushes and stares at the floor.

"Can I try again?"

"What?"

"Just start the whole thing over."

"Um. Yeah, I guess so, go for it." He looks puzzled as you glance down, then back up at him, grinning shyly.

"Karkat, I just wanted to tell you that I really like you. I think that you're a really great guy and a really awesome friend and also really attractive," that makes him bark an unsteady laugh. "And I like you as more than a friend."

"I like you too," he agrees again, starting to smile a little. "The same way. More than a friend."

"Awesome," you grin, letting out a nervous breath. "So what do you want to do about it?"

"I don't know. What do you want?" You reach over and take his hand, watching as he looks down at them. You speak when he looks back up at you.

"Can we be boyfriends?" He stares at you in silence for a moment before slowly grinning back and giving a little nod.

"Ok. I'd really like that."

"Sweet," you're trembling with adrenaline and nerves and happiness, and you can feel through his hand that he is, too. "So...can I kiss you again?" Another silence.

"You might as well," he agrees, trying to sound gruff. "The first one is already gone."

"It'll be better this time," you promise. You lift the hand that isn't holding his and cup his cheek, then lean in and press a light, sweet kiss to his cheek, then his lips. You fell him melt a little, and you give him a few more short, soft kisses before pulling back. You take in his expression happily; his cheeks are flushed again and his eyes are half-lidded. His lips look fuller and slightly pouty as they fall back into a warm smile.

"That was much better," he agrees softly.

"Yeah," You grin. You've never kissed another boy before today; it's not so different from kissing a girl. "So...do you want to stay for a while?" He hesitates, then shakes his head. "I need to just...go home and chill for a while." You droop a little, disappointed, but then he leans in and gives you another tentative kiss and it's just so cute that you can't be upset.

"Ok. I'll see you later, then." You smile and hold your arms out and he steps into them, hugging you tightly. When you let each other go, he steps back towards the door, grinning.

"Yeah. I'll troll you tonight or something. Ok?"

"Ok." You follow him, and you smile at each other when he pauses at the threshhold.

"You're an ass."

"Yeah, I know."

"See you."

"See you." You smile and watch as he heads to his car, then close the door as he pulls away. You lean back against the door with a shuddery, blissful sigh and, after a moment, you pull out your phone.

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 14:14:45--

EB: hey dave!

EB: you'll never guess what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone for being really sweet and supportive and leaving so many nice comments and giving me so many kudos! Definitely a great experience for my first fanfiction here on ao3!  
> I'm so glad you all liked it and I had a great time writing it so yeah!  
> I'd love it if you all read the next fanfiction I intend to write, but it's going to be very different so I understand if you aren't interested.  
> I'll see you guys around!  
> (also: dave totally guessed what happened.)


End file.
